3 Sept 2021
Pet abduction would become a specific criminal offence for first time as Government announces plans to crack down on growing problem across England and Wales.
Paul Imrie
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Image © sam jex / Pixabay
A new crime of pet abduction, backed by tough sentences, is to be introduced in England and Wales to combat a growing problem heightened by demand for dogs in the pandemic.
The new law would recognise animal welfare and the importance of much-loved pets as more than property.
The new offence is one of several recommendations announced today in the findings of the Government’s Pet Theft Taskforce report. Others include recording and collecting more data to help identify and track cases, new requirements to register additional details on pet ownership and creation of a single point of access to microchipping databases, and awareness campaigns to tackle the crime.
In a 35-page report by the task force – made up of representatives of Defra, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and with support from the Crown Prosecution Service, Border Force, police and local government – the extent of pet thefts in England and Wales is documented.
It features research by insurer Direct Line outlining more than half (52%) of all the 2,000 reported dog thefts in 2020 were in the north-west, north-east, London and the south-east. The Metropolitan Police Service reported around 320 in each of the past two years.
Cases rose in areas including Devon and Cornwall, South Yorkshire and County Durham, and nearly doubled in Humberside and Northumbria during 2020. The task force report makes a direct link to the pandemic and the “rise in price of some of our most beloved breeds”.
Stolen pets are currently classed as property, but the new offence would take account of pets’ importance to those from whom they have been stolen.
Environment secretary George Eustice said: “Pets are much-loved members of the family in households up and down the country, and reports of a rise in pet theft have been worrying. Pet owners shouldn’t have to live in fear, and I am pleased this report acknowledges the unique distress caused by this crime.
“Its recommendations will reassure pet owners, help police to tackle pet theft, and deliver justice for victims. We will consider its findings carefully and work with colleagues across Government to start implementing its recommendations.”
The RSPCA welcomed the recommendations. Chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “Pet theft can leave families in utter turmoil and have serious welfare implications for animals ripped away from everything they know.
“The new Pet Abduction Offence will acknowledge the seriousness of this crime and we hope this will encourage courts to hand out much tougher sentences to pet thieves.”
